Impress the press: 10 examples of reporter lingo

Here are a 10 phrases from print and online newsrooms to get you started:

Refer (pronounced like reefer): This is a callout box that suggests that print readers should go online for a video, audio, or slideshow component that goes with the story. Always consider whether there’s more information that you can give a reporter that could live in an online space—if there is, suggest a refer to it from the print publication.

Double truck: In the newspaper world, the double truck is the Holy Grail of story placement. It’s a two-page spread in the middle of a section. These are generally reserved for hard-hitting features or special, often seasonal, blowout elements.

Evergreen: This is a feature or a story that is just as relevant today as it would have been six months ago—or will be six months from now. At the Chicago Sun-Times, we had a lot of evergreen galleries, most infamously the “Hot Cubs/Sox fans” galleries. Tasteless? Probably. Timeless? Absolutely.

Follow-up, folo (also pronounced “follow”): We also called this a second-day story, which is basically a look at the aftermath of a particular story. If your company is featured in a story, and there’s more information to add at a later date, pitch a folo, and impress a reporter.